What: The Rye & Koke Experiment
When: Friday, July 30, 9:30 p.m.
Where: GLC
Cost: $10
Papa Josh (aka Josh Suhrheinrich) throws one hell of a dance party. Check out an installment of the notorious Funk 'n' Groove project - if Josh is doing his job right, you'll be a sweaty mess by the end of the night.
After all, the "ultimate mission is to bring people together, use music to broaden life's horizons and create unforgettable experiences."
Originally from a small university town in Indiana with a vibrant music scene, Josh's instincts were nurtured at an early age by parents who appreciated good music.
"I used to sit around with my dad, especially, but both my parents were music lovers, and we'd just sit around with their record collection and pick out things to listen to. I was just really, really absorbing the music," he recalled. "The whole thing fascinated me."
Josh picked up his first guitar at nine years old and immediately started writing music and learning straight-up rock 'n' roll. Seven years later, he was leading his own band and playing in local clubs. Then, he discovered the more sophisticated sounds of jazz greats like John Coltrane and the funky grooves of James Brown. He was hooked.
"At that point, I just played - I didn't practice, exactly," he said. "...And jazz is definitely music you have to study, to some degree. You have to put your time in and it demands that you're very solid on your instrument and that you're very solid on your chords and changes."
While studying at Indiana University, Josh dabbled in a range of original projects, funk bands, jazz groups and blues bands. Eventually he went on to pursue a master's degree in jazz with world-renowned guitarist Fareed Haque, of Garaj Mahal while performing with a range of groups. Finally, after finishing school, Josh joined the San Francisco-based funk/jazz/jam band, the Global Funk Council, touring throughout North America for almost two years. That tour brought him to Whistler, where he finally set down roots.
"When I was ready to leave that project I decided, 'wow, what an amazing place it is up here!'"
Today, he marries funk, blues, jazz, and many more elements in his live show, playing the drums, bass, guitar, percussion and vocals and looping all of his shows, live.
"The way I normally do it is I pick up something that's going to be my first layer, so I make sure I get a nice groove going and at some point, hit the record button... I keep playing that until I get four to eight measures or so, and hit the same button, and immediately, that keeps playing."
With that, it's time for the show and Josh is off, integrating other instruments and tracks into that beat, layering and switching between the tracks.
"Usually, I set up drums first, because that's the best way to get things really locked into the groove," he explained.
The end result is unique music with a soulful sound that gets you out of your seat - with just one man making it all happen.
"So in a way, it's kind of a DJ-like experience, but I don't set up anything ahead of time, I just do it all on the fly," he said. "And having the ability to improvise with different types of chords, whatever I want to do, I can create some unexpected things. I don't have to look for what somebody else has played in order to work into the mix."
Throughout his musical career, Josh has developed a few musical identities - he was a member of Soul Slipper and, most recently, the funktronica group, bluSIRKUT. But here in Whistler there are two distinct sides to this passionate musical soul. On one hand, he hosts the Funk 'n' Groove project, an upbeat party show.
"If volume is not an issue," he pauses and laughs, "and it's a really fun event, I definitely want to bring out the Funk 'n' Groove Project. I think that's where my heart is in it the most, because I really like to get people up and dancing. It lifts the energy of the whole room and everybody including myself has a more dynamic time."
But he also has a bit of a mellower side, playing sets of jazz and blues sprinkled with a few more covers. Think along the lines of the Four Seasons shows.
Though the Whistler music scene is a far cry from the days and nights of touring with Global Funk, Papa Josh is still managing to keep himself very busy. He's been playing weekly gigs at the Roundhouse as part of Whistler Blackcomb's Mountaintop BBQ series. He's also at the Four Seasons and has booked a few pretty big shows around the region. But for P.J. fans, it looks like the best is yet to come.
Next week, Josh is holding a very special, one-off collaborative show with good friend and former bandmate, Ryan Krieger, who performed with him in Global Funk and bluSIRKUT. They'll be joining musical forces in the Rye & Koke Experiment, which will see Krieger playing drums and setting up the tempo, Josh looping the bass and the guitar, and the two interacting along the way.
"Anytime you're playing music where you improvise and you bring a different person into the mix, the music is going to change."
While it may sound like this collaborative show was inspired during an evening filled with one too many drinks, the concept is actually pretty solid: they plan to play some of their own original material, going back to their pre-Global Funk days, alongside some newer material.
"It's definitely an experiment; it's going to be really, really fun!"
